Dictionary🇨🇳 Chinese → 🇺🇸 English
Chinese to English Dictionary
备胎
bèitāi
Description
“备胎”本来是车里多准备的一个轮胎，坏了可以马上换上。
"备胎" originally refers to an extra tire in a car that can be quickly replaced if one breaks.
现在很多年轻人也用它说一个人只是别人的“备用对象”，不是真正喜欢的人。
Nowadays, many young people use it to describe someone who is just a "备胎" for another person, not someone they truly like.
Meanings
备胎bèitāi
spare tire (extra wheel in a car)
车胎坏了，快去拿备胎。
The car tire is flat; quickly get the spare tire.
备胎bèitāi
backup romantic option; someone kept as a fallback
她只是把他当备胎。
She only treats him as a backup option.
Related words
Notes
- Etymology
备 (spare/prepare) + 胎 (tire); the romantic sense is a modern slang extension.
- Nuance
the 'backup lover' meaning is very common in casual and online conversation.
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